Golf-club.



A. W. HAYFORD.

GOLF CLUB.

APPLIOATION FILED 0013.19, 1914.

1,126,208, Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

E was ten con,

ABIIEIB W. HAYEOBD, F SWAMESCOTI, MASSACSET'LS;

- GOLF-CLUB.

amazes.

Specification of, Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. so, iota.

Application filed October 19, rem. Serial No. 867,273.

erence being had therein to the accompanying drawings. .10

The present invention relates to golf clubs and is more particularly concerned with that kind of club known as a putter.

Tn playing golf a careful player, in order to play a successful game, consumes consid- 'erable time in properly positioning the club in his hands so as to bring it into proper position with respect to the ball, preparatory to making the shot. This is especially true Y accurately to strike the ball with the strikin putting. During that part of the play even more than in driving and lofting it is absolutely necessary that the player hold his club in such position that the face of the striking portion or head of the club he at exactly right angles to the ball, so that when he makes a stroke he will be assured that the ball will proceed in a line constituting a continuation of the line of the stroke. If the player has taken the proper stance before making the play, and the stroke is directed toward the hole, the ball will proceed in a direct line. toward the hole, if only the face of the head of the putter is in the proper angular relation to the line drawn through the axis of the ball and which prolonged,

passes through the hole toward which the shot is made. 7 v

It has been proposed thattherewould be more successful golf playing and that much valuable time could be saved, if a putter could be ,designed embodying some feature wh h wo ld able th Play to asp th club in such a manner} withoutrestricting his grasp to a nonchangeable position, so as to accurately position it andbringit into proper alinement with the ball, such position and. alinement being retained without shifting, so that theattention of the player could be exclusively given to adjusting his own position in relation tothelball and the hole, the object of the stroke or putt.

The object of the present invention, then,

is to produce a putter embodying a feature whereby" a player is enabled to grasp'the club, and without particularly directing his attention to how he is holding it, adjust it ing surface of the club at lar relation thereto.

- To this end the present invention contemplates a golf club, and more particularly a putter, which has embedded in the grip of the shaft or made integral therewith, a rod the proper anguof metal of vulcanized rubber or some other material equally answering the purpose and having a sharp edge running longitudinally of the axis of the shaft and properly located with respect to the face of the head or striking surface of the club, so that, when the hands of the player properly grip the club and they have a certain position in respect to the device for securing proper aline- In the accompanying drawing illustrating the embodiment of the preferred form of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a golf club; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1.

The golf club illustrated in the drawings is of any usual construction of which the grip is designated at l, the shaft at 2 and he face or im act surface of the head of the club at 3. g n the application of my invention to the club the positioning-or alinenent" deyice indicated at 4: is embedded in that part of the shaft facing the top of the head, The positioning device runs longitudinally of the axis ofthe shaft and its median line 5 runs parallel with the longitudinal art of the striking surface or face of the cad; so that'a line joining the centers of ball and the hole aimed at, and at right angles to the striking surface is also at device,

\ proposed stroke.

" of which is acute.

hands and the thumb of each hand is pressed agalnst he may shift his hold up or down the shaft according to the required radius of the As indicated in Fig. 3, that portion of the positioning device which projects up from the shaft is in transverse sectionalview an isosceles triangle, the apex The sides of the triangular form provide 7 fiat surfaces against which the thumbs of the player rest and which prevent the sharp edge 6 from pressing in the ball of the thumbs to a disagreeable'extent, the sharp edge 6 enabling him readily and accurately to adjust the club to the desired position. The accurate positioning of the club in the players hands is accomplished entirely by the sense of feeling.

When the player is conscious that his thumbs are so disposed upon the sharp edge of the alinement device that the median line passing through the edge is at right angles to the swing of his arms, (and he is assured of this when his thumbs press upon each side of the device with equal force),'then the face of the head is at right angles to the ball, provided the player has first taken may the proper stance. The positioning device be inserted in the handle in any manner which will insure it a firm bedding. Preferably it is of metal and inserted into the handle so that a portion thereof projects kind of a stroke.

up into the grip of the club.

The advantage of the device is that when it is in actual operation it serves to allow the player, by simply taking the grip in his ha;-.ds and having his thumbs properly stationed upon tire positioning device, to be assured that he is holding the striking portion of the club at right angles with the ball, thereby enabling him to deliver the proper It is also to be observed that although this invention is applicable to all kinds f golf clubs, it is particularly adapted to putters, and it is in putting that its advantages appear most conspicuously. It is becomlng recognized more and more, that games of golf are more often won or lost in putting than in any other department of the game. It often happens that of two players, one of whom is inferior to the other in driving and in approaching the putting green, putting green, and consequently makes the hole in fewer shots. which obviates the uncertainties of putting,

the sharp edge of the positioningedge running is far superior to him on the Any device, therefore,

furnishes the player who is superior at the tee and on fair green, but who is weak on the putting green, with means to maintain his superiority, thereby enabling himto win his game. The advantages of this invention have been repeatedly demonstrated in that it enables the player who has it incorpo-- rated into his putter to make the hole from any part of the green in a less number of shots than it is possible to make it in with the use of theordinary putter.

- What I claim is 1. In a golf club means embedded in the grip of the club and having an edge with flat, sloping surfaces meeting the grip, to

enable the user of the club when his thumbs are pressed upon the sharp edge and bearing equally upon thetflat surfaces, to aline the impact surface of the head of the club at right angles to the ball. v

2. A golf club having embedded in it a positioning device having two, flat surfaces meeting in an apex and forming a sharp longitudinally of theshaft of the club and so positioned in relation to the impact surface of the head of the club that when the user of the club has his thumbs placed upon the sharp edge, and each thumb bearing equally upon both sides of the device, the impact surface will be positioned at right angles to the ball.

3. A golf club having embedded in it a.

positioning device having a sharp edge running longitudinally of the shaft of the club and so located in relation to the head of the club that when the thumbs of the player are properly positioned upon the sharp edge, the face of the head will be maintained at right angles to the ball. 4. A golf club having embedded in it a positioning device having'a sharp edge running longitudinally of the shaft of the club and so located that when the club isheld in striking position the hands of the player engage said sharp edge which serves as a guide to indicate the position of the head of the 'club. l

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this the sixteenth day of Octo-.

H. A. Enemsn. 

